Three decades after the shocking murders of famed fortune teller Fujita Kototome and her son Goro, a twist has emerged in the case. Fukusaku Raita, the man convicted of their murders, died in his prison cell.
Fukusaku had always claimed he was innocent. A look at several mysterious aspects of the case – a missing notebook, possibly overlooked forensic evidence, and a large batch of counterfeit money – raises the question: Did Fukusaku really do it?
Table of Contents
ToggleA trusted advisor to Japan’s elites

Thirty years ago in Honolulu, Hawaii, well-known Japanese fortune teller Fujita Kototome and her son, Goro, were murdered. A court convicted Fukusaku Raita, a Japanese citizen, of the murders. He allegedly shot Fujita and her son and set them on fire.
On October 14th, Fukusaku, who was serving time for the murders, died in prison. Local media reported that prison staff discovered him bleeding and unresponsive, with a sharp object lodged in his neck. Authorities suspect that a fellow inmate attacked him. An investigation is ongoing.
Fujita Kototome started gaining attention around 1950, five years after World War II ended. A local newspaper dubbed her a gifted psychic fortune teller, capable of making accurate predictions. That launched her into the spotlight.
Her fame soared when she appeared on television, and she even had a private consultation room right next to the president’s office of a major newspaper company. Notably, former Japanese Prime Minister Kishi Nobusuke sought her advice on U.S.-Japan security matters.
Through these influential connections, Kototome amassed a fortune worth hundreds of millions of yen. However, a devastating fire at the sauna she managed forced her to retreat from the public eye.
In 1973, she relocated to Hawaii. She had no biological children, but she adopted Goro, and the two lived together as mother and son in Hawaii.
Just as life seemed to stabilize, tragedy struck.
Evidence leads to conviction

On February 23, 1994, Kototome was discovered shot to death in her luxury condominium, which had been set on fire. Shortly after, her son Goro was found dead in his red sports car, also shot, with the vehicle set on fire just five kilometers from the condo.
The investigation initially faced significant challenges. Things started moving when someone tipped off authorities that the stolen jewels had been brought to a pawn shop near Kototome’s apartment.
That made Fukusaku, who allegedly sold the jewelry, the prime suspect. However, he claimed he was innocent and that someone was framing him.
During the trial, the prosecution argued that Fukusaku acted alone, presenting evidence to support their claim that he was the sole perpetrator. Fukusaku, however, maintained his innocence, insisting he did not kill Kototome or her son. He then refused to discuss the case.
Planning a trip to Japan? Get an authentic, interpreted experience from Unseen Japan Tours and see a side of the country others miss!

"Noah [at Unseen Japan] put together an itinerary that didn’t lock us in and we could travel at our own pace. In Tokyo, he guided us personally on a walking tour. Overall, he made our Japan trip an experience not to forget." - Kate and Simon S., Australia


We hate paywalls. Our content remains both free and fiercely independent. If you love the values we stand for and want to help us expand our coverage of Japan, consider a recurring or one-time donation to the Unseen Japan Journalism Fund today.
Dueling security camera footage
Fukusaku’s lawyer contended that another person had a motive to frame him. To support this argument, he presented a security camera image showing Fukusaku shopping at a supermarket three kilometers from the crime scene.
The timestamp on the footage indicated only a four-minute difference from when the murder occurred in the parking lot. If he had committed the crime, he would have needed to cover that three-kilometer distance in just four minutes—an impossible feat.
But prosecutors had their own video evidence. Security camera footage from Goro’s apartment shows someone who looks like Fukusaku in an elevator with Goro in Goro’s apartment building. They also captured chilling footage of this figure in the elevator again – this time with a human-shaped bag. Cameras also showed someone driving Goro’s car out of the garage with the same bag in the rear seat.
As a result, the court found him guilty of murder and sentenced him to life in prison. Throughout his trial and imprisonment, however, Fukusaku maintained his innocence. At one point, he made a tearful statement in court, saying, “People who are putting pressure on this case. I promise you, I am not gonna talk. I am gonna tell nothing. Don’t do anything to my people.”
He spoke as if he were desperately hiding something, almost as if someone had taken his loved ones hostage and was threatening him.
Testimonies and conflicting evidence raise doubt

Fukusaku’s attorney revealed that just before the incident, Kototome called the bank president, saying she “needed a large sum of money.” The president testified, “When I received the call, I heard someone speaking to her in broken Japanese with a strange accent,” adding that someone in Kototome’s room couldn’t speak fluent Japanese.
Additionally, neither Fukusaku’s fingerprints nor hair were found at the crime scene, suggesting someone else may have been present. If that’s the case, there is a high possibility that someone other than Fukusaku was at the crime scene.
The prosecutor insisted that Fukusaku acted alone. However, evidence points to the involvement of multiple people. A doctor who examined Kototome’s body testified that “she was bound and injured by at least two individuals.” This raises questions about the credibility of the prosecutors’ claim that he acted alone in the murders.
A different body?
Seventeen years after the incident, Fukusaku spoke to a TV Asahi journalist from prison. In the interview, he once again proclaimed his innocence, saying, “I had nothing to do with the murders of Kototome and Goro. My only mistake was getting into that elevator. That’s what set everything off and led to this.”
Fukusaku addressed the surveillance footage from the elevator, which allegedly showed him carrying a large bag believed to contain Kototome’s son, Goro’s body. “What I was carrying was not Goro. Even if it had been a body, the size was smaller than 160 cm.”
Goro stood over 180 cm tall and weighed around 90 kg, so if the body measured less than 180 cm, it could not belong to Goro. An expert who analyzed the body bag’s size in the footage confirmed it measured between 150 and 160 cm, supporting Fukusaku’s statement. This evidence indicates the body was not Goro’s but likely to be someone else’s.
But then, whose body was it?
Was Fukusako forced to carry the body?
Fukusaku talked about another incident that occurred on February 23rd, two days before the murders of Kototome and her son. Fukusaku said it involved a murder linked to Kototome.
Planning a trip to Japan? Get an authentic, interpreted experience from Unseen Japan Tours and see a side of the country others miss!

"Noah [at Unseen Japan] put together an itinerary that didn’t lock us in and we could travel at our own pace. In Tokyo, he guided us personally on a walking tour. Overall, he made our Japan trip an experience not to forget." - Kate and Simon S., Australia


We hate paywalls. Our content remains both free and fiercely independent. If you love the values we stand for and want to help us expand our coverage of Japan, consider a recurring or one-time donation to the Unseen Japan Journalism Fund today.
At that time, Kototome faced blackmail from an acquaintance in Hawaii who demanded a large sum of money. Seeking help with her debt, she turned to Fukusaku. He says he introduced her to K, a North Korean-Japanese president of a financial company in Tokyo.
Kototome borrowed $2 million from K, agreeing to use the money only after summer. However, the cash turned out to be counterfeit, printed in North Korea, and usable only during specific periods. Nevertheless, once the money reached Kototome in Hawaii, her son immediately used it, ignoring K’s instructions.
Consequently, K ordered Fukusaku to recover the counterfeit funds. Accompanied by three others, he went to where the fake bills had been used. There, they found three individuals, whom they abducted and held under house arrest at Fukusaku’s home.
An altercation erupted, and shots were fired. Ultimately, Fukusaku faced threats and was ordered to transport a bag, prompting him to enter the elevator.
Fukusaku believes he was forced to carry the body of one of the three victims from that incident. This is the context of the surveillance footage that the prosecution later submitted as evidence, claiming it showed Fukusaku transporting Goro’s body.
Conspiracies swirl around case

After Kototome’s death, the notebook documenting sensitive information involving powerful figures in politics and business mysteriously vanished, fueling conspiracy theories.
Kototome served many high-profile clients in the political and business sectors and held significant secret information. She stored all her client details in a notebook known as the “Black Book.” However, after the incident, authorities found no trace of the Black Book in her room.
Mysteriously, two months after the incident, K, who had loaned money to Kototome, was shot and killed. Fukusaku suggested a possible link to Kototome’s missing Black Book.
Fukusaku claimed the notebook contained sensitive information about Japanese politicians that could be damaging if revealed. He said that Kototome had given the notebook to K as collateral for the $2 million loan.
Fukusaku speculated that this might explain K’s murder—because K had possession of the notebook. This raises the possibility that someone seeking to keep the Black Book hidden orchestrated the murders and framed Fukusaku as the killer, fueling ongoing conspiracy theories surrounding the case.
One thing is for certain: Fukusaku’s sudden death in prison has made it even more difficult to separate truth from fiction.
What to read next

Japanese Pro Snowboarder Rides Through Shinto Shrine, Sparking Debate
It’s not just foreigners being obnoxious. Some in Sapporo are fuming after a Japanese snowboarder used a shrine as a slope.

Man Who Led Toyoko Kids Org Charged with Rape of Minor
The case raises questions about the nature of groups that are supposedly intended to help runaways in Kabukicho and elsewhere.

Chiitan Wins Verdict Against City for Damaging Their Reputation
Score one for everyone’s favorite otter fairy. Reports say Chiitan has won a defamation suit against a city in Kochi Prefecture.
Sources
30年前の占師・藤田小女姫さん親子射殺事件で服役中の男が獄中で死亡 首や頭部に外傷 TBS
22年前 美女殺人事件の真実 Nippon TV
“実行犯”が獄中告白 有名占い師・藤田小女姫殺害事件の真相|ABEMAドキュメンタリー. ABEMA TV